4 ms·
As an interesting bit of trivia: the most prevalent greenhouse gas in the atmosphere? Water vapor.
by lftl 10y ago
As an interesting bit of trivia: the most prevalent greenhouse gas in the atmosphere? Water vapor.
- DennisP 10y agoWhich doesn't mean that emitting water vapor from a rocket adds to global warming. It just adds to the rain.
- morsch 10y agoTrue as long as you intend to fly your rocket within the troposphere, the lower ~10 miles of the atmosphere. Above that, water vapor seems to stick around a long time and is currently understood to be quite harmful[1]. This is also an issue with high-flying planes (not that flying low is better, due to the decreased efficiency). However, more research is needed[2]. [1] http://www.grida.no/publications/other/ipcc_sr/?src=/climate/ipcc/aviation/076.htm http://www.grida.no/publications/other/ipcc_sr/?src=/climate... (kind of old, but I think the more recent IPCC reports are in a similar vein) [2] https://eos.org/research-spotlights/the-forgotten-water-vapor-at-high-altitudes https://eos.org/research-spotlights/the-forgotten-water-vapo...
- DennisP 10y agoWow, learn something new every day. Thanks!